Bread Machine High Fiber Bread – Whole Wheat & Ground Flaxseed

This bread machine high fiber bread recipe uses whole wheat flour and ground flaxseed to create a delicious sandwich bread with extra fiber. It is also an easy high fiber bread to make because your bread machine mixes, kneads and bakes the bread. You don’t have to worry about hand kneading the dough or shaping the dough by hand!

Slices Of Bread Machine High Fiber Bread

Recipe Sections

1. Ingredients
2. Instructions
3. Helpful Tips

Disclaimer – Always check with your doctor if you are making changes to your diet (such as switching from a low fiber diet to a high fiber diet). Also please consult with your doctor before adding any new foods to your diet.

Loaf of Bread Machine High Fiber Bread

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 Cups – Milk (warm) – 296 milliliters
• 4 Tablespoons – Unsalted Butter (softened) – 57 grams – If desired, you can replace the butter in this recipe with an equivalent amount of olive oil.
• 2 1/2 Cups – Whole Wheat Flour – 363 grams – Recipe based on using regular “supermarket” whole wheat flour and not freshly milled flour. See tips below.
• 1 Cup – Golden Flaxseed Meal – 104 grams – It can also be called finely ground golden flaxseed, ground golden flaxseed meal, etc. You want to use ground-up seeds and NOT whole seeds.
• 1/3 Cup – Light Brown Sugar – 72 grams – If you prefer non-sweet breads, you should use only 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar.
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons – Salt – 9 grams
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons – Bread Machine Yeast (or Instant Yeast) – 4.5 grams – This recipe does NOT use active dry yeast.

Servings – Roughly 12 slices

Equipment Needed – Measuring cup & spoons, silicone spatula, oven mitts, cooling rack and a bread machine.

High Fiber Bread Ingredients In Bread Pan

Instructions

• Bread machine settings – 2 pound loaf, light color and “whole wheat” bread setting.
• Unplug your bread machine.
• Remove the bread pan from the unplugged bread machine (so when you add the ingredients, they can not accidentally spill into the machine).
• Soften the butter. FYI – I like to use a microwave to semi-melt the butter for better mixability.
• Pour the milk & softened butter into the bread pan and then add the other ingredients. Place the instant yeast/bread machine yeast in last and the yeast should not touch the liquid or salt (until the bread machine is turned on and the ingredients start to be mixed together by the bread machine). FYI – Many bakers like to make a crater/pocket in the top of the flour to hold the yeast so the yeast does not contact the liquid or salt in the bread pan.
• Put the bread pan with ingredients back into the unplugged bread machine.
• Plug in the bread machine. Enter the correct settings (2 lb, light color, whole wheat bread) and press the “start” button.
• When the bread machine has finished baking the bread, unplug the bread machine and remove the bread pan from the bread machine. Wear oven mitts as the bread pan & bread machine will be hot.
• Remove the bread from the bread pan and place the bread on a wire cooling rack. Use oven mitts when removing the bread as the bread & bread pan will be hot.
• Optional – Right after removing the bread from the bread pan (while the bread is still very hot), brush on 1 or 2 tablespoons of melted butter on the top crust of the bread. This creates a more buttery top to the bread. Use a pastry brush to brush on the butter.
• Let the bread cool on the wire cooling rack for 1-2 hours before cutting.
• Please read the tips section below for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully.

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Helpful Tips

• The tips below are designed to help bread machine “novices”. Intermediate and advanced bread makers probably know most of these bread making tips.
• Click on this “print recipe” link if you want to print out this recipe. It includes all of the recipe’s ingredients and instructions. However, the recipe print function does not include my tips section. Please read the tips section in order to avoid common recipe problems.
• As I said above – Always check with your doctor if you are making changes to your diet (such as switching from a low fiber diet to a high fiber diet). Also consult with your doctor before adding any new foods to your diet.
• This high fiber recipe is part of Bread Dad’s series on Bread Machine Recipes such as buttery white bread, banana bread, French bread and multigrain bread.

• This is the bread machine-only version of my oven-baked High Fiber Bread Recipe. It is mixed, kneaded & baked in your bread machine. In contrast, my oven-baked bread is mixed & kneaded in your bread machine (or electric stand mixer) and baked in your oven. My bread machine version is easier to make (e.g. no hand shaping of the dough is involved) but the oven-baked loaf looks better (not “block” shaped).
• This recipe uses the “whole wheat” or “whole grain” setting on your bread machine. This setting is designed to provide a longer rise time because 100% whole wheat-type breads have less gluten than bread flour-based breads. Breads with less gluten have a harder time rising. FYI – Here is what my Hamilton Beach manual says about the “whole grain” setting, it is “For bread with heavy varieties of flour that require a longer phase of kneading and rising (whole wheat flour, rye flour). Bread will be more compact and heavy.”
• Bread machine high fiber bread is NOT a light fluffy bread. Since whole wheat flour and ground flaxseed have less gluten than bread flour, this bread is a denser bread. This is typical for whole wheat breads versus bread flour breads. Less gluten means less structure to capture the CO2 “bubbles” produced by the yeast (and less bubbles means a less fluffy bread).
• Flaxseed meal (ground flaxseed) usually has no gluten or very little gluten. Therefore the use of flaxseed meal hurts the “rise” of the bread (given the lack of gluten).
• FYI – If you discover a recipe for a “soft & fluffy” whole wheat/high fiber bread then that bread is probably partially made with bread flour (e.g. the bread is made with 50% whole wheat flour and 50% bread flour).

• WARNING – Use relatively NEW whole wheat flour and ground flaxseed meal as these ingredients can go bad (rancid) quickly. The natural oils in these ingredients oxidize quickly and spoil.
• In my opinion, this is probably the biggest reason why some people do not like the taste of whole wheat bread. They do not like the weird funky taste associated with old whole wheat flour. Ground flaxseed can also taste strange when it is not fresh.
• FYI – After opening, I like to store my whole wheat flour and ground flaxseed in airtight containers in my refrigerator. Some people like to store them in their freezer for even longer storage.
• Important – Whole wheat flour (if stored in an open bag and not in an airtight container) can absorb a lot of moisture from the air. This extra moisture throws off recipes and can lead to bread collapses, etc.
• Strange but true – Whole wheat flour absorbs moisture from the air faster than bread flour and all purpose flour. The bran in whole wheat flour is “hygroscopic” which means that it attracts and retains water. In contrast, bread flour and all purpose flour have very little bran. Bread flour and all purpose still absorb moisture from the air but at a slower rate than whole wheat flour.
• I like to look at the dough about 5 minutes after I press the start button on my machine. If looks a little too wet, I will add some flour (a little bit at a time) until the dough reaches the right consistency. Check your bread machine’s instruction manual on how to do this safely & effectively with your specific machine.

• This bread machine high fiber recipe is based on using regular whole wheat flour (from the supermarket) and NOT freshly milled flour. Recipes using freshly milled flour require more moisture than recipes using regular whole wheat flour. If you use freshly milled flour (instead of supermarket-type whole wheat flour) then your bread might come out too dry (if you are using this recipe).
• Optional – If you want to make a lower sugar and less sweet version of this high fiber recipe, you should use only 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar (versus the 1/3 cup recommended in the recipe).
• Visitors – What do you like to add to your high fiber breads? Seeds? Chopped nuts? Dried fruit? Please leave your “fiber” thoughts & recipe variations in the comment section below.

• Do NOT use cold milk. The main problem with using regular milk is that people tend to use cold refrigerated milk and this can slow the yeast growth. The ideal temperature for liquid ingredients used when making bread machine bread is around 100-110 F. Some people like to use a digital bread thermometer in order to measure the temperature of their liquid ingredients. Also be aware that liquid ingredients that are 140 F or above can kill the yeast. Yeast is sort of like Goldilocks – it likes things not too cold or too hot!
• Optional – If you do not have milk (or can’t drink dairy milk), you can replace it on a 1:1 basis with plain soy milk, plain oat milk, water, etc. I just think that whole milk adds a little extra flavor to this bread.
• Optional – If you don’t have butter (or can’t eat dairy-based butter), you can replace it on a 1:1 basis with vegetable oil, olive oil, etc.

• Whole wheat flour contains roughly 4 grams of fiber per 1/4 cup (or 16 grams of fiber per cup). Of course, the fiber amount can vary by manufacturer (so you need to read the nutrition label on your flour package for the exact fiber amount).
• Moreover, ground flaxseed meal contains roughly 6 grams of fiber per 1/4 cup (or 24 grams of fiber per cup). However, be aware that the fiber amount in ground flaxseed meal packages tends to vary a bit between manufacturers. I have seen some packages with more fiber and some with less (so you need to read the nutrition label on your flaxseed package for the exact fiber amount).
• In contrast, regular bread flour (and all purpose flour) generally only contain 1 gram of fiber (or less) per 1/4 cup (or 4 grams of fiber per cup). Of course, the fiber amount can vary by manufacturer (so you need to read the nutrition label on the flour package for the exact fiber amount).
• Therefore, whole wheat & flaxseed breads tend to have more fiber than breads made from regular bread flour or all purpose flour.
• Based on the ingredients that I used and the fiber data above, my high fiber bread contained roughly 64 grams of fiber (calculated from the 2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour at 4 grams per 1/4 cup and the 1 cup of golden flaxseed meal at 6 grams per 1/4 cup). Your bread may differ if you use different ingredients (check the nutrition labels on your ingredients).

• A high fiber bread made with whole wheat flour and ground flaxseed meal contains primarily insoluble fiber. This type of fiber adds bulk and helps food pass more quickly through the stomach and intestines. For more information on the potential benefits of insoluble fiber, you should read this Wikipedia article on dietary fiber.
• What is whole wheat flour? Whole wheat flour is a powder derived from finely ground wheat grains. It is a darker-colored flour because it includes much of the grain seed’s natural bran, endosperm and germ. In contrast, according to Wikipedia, white flours (such as all purpose flour) have” had the germ and bran, containing much of the nutritional fibre and vitamins, removed”.
• What is flaxseed meal? Flaxseed meal is coarsely ground flaxseed (either golden or brown flaxseeds). For more on the potential benefits of flaxseed, you might like to read this WebMD article.

• I prefer to use golden flaxseed meal (versus brown flaxseed meal) when making this high fiber bread recipe. In my opinion, the bread looks better with golden flaxseed meal. Nevertheless, either one is fine to use. There is not a huge difference between the two flaxseeds. If you want to learn more about these two types of flaxseed, you might like to read the Bob’s Red Mill article Brown vs. Golden Flaxseed.
• For this high fiber bread recipe, you want to use flaxseed meal (ground flaxseed) and not whole flaxseeds. If you use unground flaxseeds, the hard shell of the seed will prevent it from being digested properly. Ground flaxseed gives your body better access to the insoluble fiber, soluble fiber and nutrients (as they are not encased in a hard seed shell).
• Optional – To add more “crunch” to your high fiber bread, you can replace 1/4 cup of the ground flaxseed with 1/4 cup of 7 or 10 grain cereal. 7 or 10 grain cereal consists of chopped up grain seeds (e.g. wheat, rye and barley). These chopped up seeds add fiber & texture to bread recipes. You can find this type of cereal either online or at many major supermarkets. It is usually called 10 grain hot cereal, 7 grain hot cereal, multigrain hot cereal, etc. FYI – It is NOT a cereal with large flakes (e.g. corn flakes).
• If you like breads with a little extra fiber, check out Bread Machine Chia Seed Bread, Bread Machine Honey Wheat Bread and Bread Machine 100% Whole Wheat Bread.
• Or my “dessert” recipes for Chia Seed Banana Bread and Flaxseed Banana Bread.

• This bread recipe uses instant yeast or bread machine yeast. It is not focused on active dry yeast. This recipe is targeted towards instant yeast & bread machine yeast as many of our visitors are bread machine users.
• Active dry yeast is different from instant yeast & bread machine yeast. Instant yeast & bread machine yeast are added directly to the recipe’s ingredients. In contrast, active dry yeast must be activated in water before being added to a recipe’s ingredients. Many bakers find it quicker to use instant yeast because you just add it to the dry ingredients. With active dry yeast, you need to spend roughly 10 minutes “proofing” (activating) the yeast with a liquid & sugar.
• If you add active dry yeast to the bread pan (without it being activated prior to use), you are more likely to suffer bread rising issues. Stick to instant yeast/bread machine yeast when making this recipe.
• I would recommend NOT reducing the salt in this recipe. You generally want to keep the salt-to-yeast ratio at a 1:1 basis in most bread recipes. The salt moderates the growth of the yeast. If you cut the salt (and disrupt this 1:1 ratio), the yeast will grow faster than expected. In turn, this leads to more bread collapses (because the yeast rises too high and then craters in the middle) and/or results in “slack” less manageable dough. In addition, less salt will impact the flavor and browning of the bread.
• Do not place the salt next to (or on top of) the yeast. Salt can kill the yeast. Salt should be placed on the side of the bread pan (away from the yeast in the middle of the bread pan).

• Cooler home temperatures in the winter can cause rising problems for bread dough. Ideally, your room temperature should be around 75-80 degrees F. Colder winter room temperatures can significantly delay the rise of the dough. You will need to raise the temperature of your kitchen (if you like a cold house in the winter) or find a warm spot for the dough to rise. I often put my dough (covered of course) next to a heating vent in the winter to make sure it is getting enough heat.
• Conversely, dough can rise faster than expected in a very hot kitchen.
• Kitchen humidity can also impact a recipe. A winter kitchen tends to be drier due to your heating system drying out the air. In contrast, a kitchen in the summer can be much more humid. This change in humidity impacts baking as flour can soak up humidity from the air. Therefore, you might have to add 1-2 teaspoons of liquid in the winter if the dough is looking too dry. Or you might have to add 1-2 teaspoons of flour in the summer if the dough is looking too wet. If your kitchen is very dry or humid, you might have to add even a little more (but start with 1 teaspoon at a time until you achieve the right consistency).
• Of course, excessive kitchen humidity or dryness can impact a recipe at any time during the year (not just in the summer & winter)!
• Other factors that can impact the rise of the dough include old or expired yeast, contaminated yeast (i.e. the yeast was left in an open jar & air moisture contaminated it), water that is too cold or too hot, using heavily chlorinated tap water, placing salt next to or on top of the yeast (salt can kill yeast or inhibit its growth), not covering the dough during the rising period (as the exterior of the dough can dry out & limit the ability to rise), etc.

• You should let your bread cool down for 1-2 hours on the wire cooling rack before you cut any slices (or the slices will be “gummy” and not taste as good as expected). Excess interior moisture is released (via steam) during the cooldown period.
• If you have not made bread in a long time, please buy some NEW bread machine yeast or instant yeast before making your bread. Old yeast can die or lose its potency and this will lead to bread that does not rise properly. Yeast is not likely to be viable if it has been sitting in your pantry for years.
• Once you have opened the container that contains the yeast, the yeast will last longer if you store the bottle in the refrigerator or freezer. Just make sure the bottle is sealed tight (as yeast will deteriorate quickly if exposed to air, moisture and/or heat).
• If you would like to read my review of the bread machines that I own & use to create my bread machine recipes, please visit my Best Bread Machines page. It covers bread machines such as Hamilton Beach, KBS and Zojirushi. The page provides my thoughts on the machines’ strengths and weaknesses.

• You can also use this homemade bread to make one of Bread Dad’s hot & toasty Grilled Cheese & Panini Sandwich Recipes such as air fryer grilled cheese, chicken paninis and ham & cheese paninis.
• My recipes are based on US ingredient measurements (i.e. US cups & tablespoons). However, as a courtesy to our European visitors, I have also included some very ROUGH European equivalents (i.e. grams & milliliters). Since I rarely use European measurements when baking, please let me know in the comment section below if any of the European ingredient measurements need to be changed (i.e. for XYZ ingredient, milliliters are more commonly used versus the grams information listed in the recipe).
• Always wear oven mitts/gloves when dealing with a bread machine and/or oven. Both can get very hot!
• For more easy bread ideas, please visit Bread Dad’s sections on Bread Machine Recipes and Homemade Bread Recipes.

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Reference Sources

1. Wikipedia, Bread
2. Wikipedia, Bread Machine
3. Wikipedia, Dietary Fiber
4. Wikipedia, Flax
5. Wikipedia, Flour
6. Wikipedia, Whole Wheat Flour

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